Automobile door-curtain support



Aug. '17 ,"1926. a I J. D. FITZPATRICK AUTOMGBI LE DO-QR CURTA IN SURPORT Filed July 14. .1924

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Aug. 17, 1926.

iseaen JEREMIAH D. FITZPA'I'B-ICK, OF JACKSON, hIICHIG-AN.

AUTOMOBILE BQOB-GUBTMIN Application filed July 14, 19214.

This invention relates to automobile side curtains and more particularly pertains to those which are adapted to open with the door. These side curtains are adapted to be used on the cheaper grade of cars which are not usually provided with curtains that open with the door, such as the well lznown Ford car.

The Ford touring car is provided with doors which open towards each other and my curtains are so arranged that hey will open with the door, the edges of the door curtains arranged to overlap when closed to provide a tight closure for the door opening.

It is the object of my invention to provide quickly detachable means whereby these curtains may be secured to the doors so that they may open with the door but yet lit tightly together when closed. Another object is the provision of means for securing these curtains to the latch lever of the door so that the curtain may be moved to actuate the latch lever for unlocking the door.

A further object is the arrangement of this supporting means which. allows relative movement between the curtains in the plane of the curtains so that either curtain may be opened without interference of the other curtain.

In the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an inside partial elevation of an automobile body equipped with my curtains.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the curtains in closed position, showing how the said curtains overlap.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the upper end of the curtain iron showing the flexible or yieldable extension secured thereon.

Fig. 4 is a detail partly in section, show ing how the curtain iron may be secured to the swinging latch lever of the automobile door lock.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4:.

The Ford car is provided with the ordinary latch construction (not shown) which may be actuated by the swinging latch lever a. The side doors I) are arranged to open towards each other.

I have provided curtain irons which have the upright portion 0 and the lower extension (Z. As shown in Fig. 1, this lower extension is bent downwardly as at e, and has secured thereto the fixture f. This fixture SUPPORT.

$eria1 No. 725,862.

7 is provided with the recess 9 which'is adapted to it over the end of the latch lever a. Obviously, this curtain iron may be detachably secured to the latch lever whenever desired. The lower extensions of said curtain irons are relatively long so that the side curtains It may overlap as shown in Fig. 2, when closed. To open either door, it is merely necessary to grasp the edge of either curtain, whereby the curtain iron may be moved to actuate the latch lever for unlocking the door. This is clearly shown in Fig. 1, where the rear curtain has been moved in the plane of the curtain, thereby swinging the latch lever of the rear door to unlo k the same. The curtains when closed are arranged to overlap but when the curtain is moved as described, the said movement permitted by the yieldable connection between the cur tain iron and door, the curtain is moved longitudinally of the car or in the planeof the curtain, so as to be swung clear of the other curtain, thereby permitting a free outward swinging movement of the door and curtain carried thereby. This is quite essential when the curtain, which is positioned behind, is desired to be opened, because were it not for this relative movement as described, it would beimpossible to open the door. The construction of the lock is such that the latch lever is yieldingly held in the locked position, thereby exerting a yielding pressure ,on the curtain iron when the door is closed to cause the curtains to be stretched to their fullest extent so that they will overlap and provide'a tight closure for the door opening; but this latch lever may be moved by the curtain to unlock the door, thereby permitting the opening of the door and the curtain. I

Secured to the upper end of the curtain iron is a tightly coiled spring 70. As shown in Fig. 3, this spring is merely pressed onto the end of the curtain iron and provides a flexible and yieldable extension for the upper end of the curtain iron. This allows the curtain to snap under the top bows of the automobile top, so as to allow the curtains to be buttoned to the top from the inside it so desired. This yieldable extension on the upper end of the curtain iron may be used with any kind of curtain iron construction. The curtain which is secured to this iron and yieldable extension, may bend with the yieldable extension when the same passes under the top bows without danger of tearing the curtain. In the present construction, where the curtain irons are rigid, it is found that the irons, which are not always of a uniform length, sometimes strike the top bow and prevent the side curtains from completely closing the door openin In my construction, however, the curtains completely close the door opening and are arranged to overlap each other when closed, the closing movement of said curtain not re tarded by any obstruction in the top construction of the automobile body.

One of the advantages of my construction is that one may utilize the ordinary Ford curtains by merely sewing or otherwise se curing a pocket to the edge of the curtain for receiving the upright portion of my curtain iron. Another feature is the elimination of a permanent strip of curtain between the two door curtains. It is quite necessary for the door curtains to overlap the adjacent portion of the side curtain so as to provide a tight closure and it is customary to provide such a stationary strip. My means for relatively moving the door curtains with respect to each other in the plane of the curtain enables me to provide this ovelapping relation between the curtains and yet does not prevent the curtains from being easily opened.

The curtain iron which I have detachably secured to' the latch lever of the automobile door may conceivably be formed permanently with the latch lever or the latch lever and the curtain iron may be formed as one continuous member.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an automobile curtain construction, the combination of a curtain, an automobile door provided with a swinging latch lever, and, means for securing said curtain to said latch lever, whereby said latch lever may be actuated by a movement of said curtain.

2. In an automobile curtain construction, the combination of a curtain, an automobile door provided with a swinging latch lever, a curtain iron provided with an upright portion which is secured to the curtain and having an extension at the lower end, and means for securing the lower extension of said curtain iron to the latch lever, whereby the latch lever may be actuated by a movement of the curtain iron.

8. In an automobile curtain construction, the combination of a curtain. an automobile door provided with a swinging latch lever, a curtain iron for supporting said curtain and provided with means for securing said curain iron to the latch lever, whereby one may g asp the curtain iron to actuate said latch lever for unlocking the door.

t. In an automobile curtain construction, the combination of a curtain, an automobile door provided with a swinging latch lover, a curtain iron provided with an upright por tion for supporting the curtain and having an extension at the lower end thereof, and a fixture secured to the lower extension of said curtain iron and provided with a recess F adapted to lit over the end of the latch lever for detachably securing the iron to said latch lever, whereby the said latch lever may be actuated to unlock the automobile door by a movement of said curtain iron.

5. In an automobile curtain construction, the combination of a curtain, an automobile door, a curtain iron for supporting the curtain, means for securing the curtain iron to the automobile door so that the curtain may be opened with the door, and a tightly coiled flexible spring extension secured to the top of the curtain iron and which will yield to allow the iron to pass by the rigid frame structure of the automobile top upon the closing or opening of the door.

6. In an automobile curtain construction, the combination of a pair of door curtains, a pair of automobile doors that open towards each other and each provided with a swinging latch lever, and curtain irons for supporting said curtains and provided with means for securing said curtain irons to the swinging latch lever of the automobile door, the said curtains arranged to overlap when in a closed position, the yieldable connection between said latch lever and door permitting relative movement between the curtains in the plane of the curtains so that either of said door curtains may be freely swung open with the door.

In testimony whereof I have aii'ixed my signature.

JEREMIAH D. FITZPATRICK. 

